I have just recovered from one of those days that will stick in my memory for years. I had a feeling yesterday was going to be a bit special and I certainly was dissapointed.
My two friends and I decided to drive down to Cornwall through the night (leaving Coventry at 00:30am). We arrived at our first destination (Steppars Point, near Padstow) around 05:30. Our target bird was a Gyr falcon, a bird I have never seen before.
It was about a three quarter of a mile walk along the headland to a small quarry where the bird has been roosting for a while. There must have been about 100 birders already there when we arrived, with more coming behind us.
Obviously it was still dark when we arrived but as a little light started to encroach the sides of the quarry someone (who had seen the bird on earlier days) pointed it out. It was about one hundred yards away on a ledge near the top of a cliff face. It was hard to find in this near lightless time of day but eventually I did get onto it.
I tried for a few shots around 06:20 when there was slightly more light then 10 minutes later it flew off and I had one chance of a shot (which I took) to take a flight shot of the bird. Bareing in mind to even get any speed up I had to use ISO 1600. Consequently I have two photos below that are only record shots of the bird. The flight shot I have to say that if I hadn't told you what it was I doubt if you would recognise it.
As the bird disappeared into the distance we all turned to go back to the cars. Within five minutes we were all looking at a Glaucose Gull flying over our heads (again far too dark for a photo). This was an excellent first thirty minutes to start the day off with.
Our next port of call was hayle where an unusual visitor had taken up temporary residence.It was a White-billed Diver. We pulled into hayle and it was soon evident where the bird was by all the birders lined up along Copperhouse Creek. I quickly found a parking spot and the three of us rushed the 300 yards or more to where the bird was located. there it was, only about forty feet from us. Time for the DSLR to come into action. It was still only about 07:30 so the light wasn't as good as i would have liked it so considering the conditions the few resulting photos I took I was pleased with.
Well that was a Brilliant start to the day. Within an hour we had seen Gyr falcon, Glaucose gull ajnd White-billed Diver. What more could happen. Well the pager bleepeed and there were more birds a couple of miles away.
Off we set to the head of the hayle estuary, near the Old Quay pub. already there were about twenty birders there with scopes trained on the Estuary. We were looking for a Franklin's Gull. I needn't have worried. One of my companions was Steve Lister (who i went to Turkey with). he is one of the best birders in Britain. Through the vast numbers of gulls he found it, right over the far side of the estuary, almost three quarters of a mile away. As we were watching it a call that the Spotted Sandpiper was about 100 yards away and coming closer. I soon spotted it and rushed back over to my car to get my camera and was soon taking some fairly distant shots of the bird (the same bird I had photographed way back at the start of November last year).
As we were watching the Spot sand Steve found a couple of Greenshank and also a Spotted Redshank (all new birds for the year for me). It was still only about 9am and yet in the last two and a half hours we had seen some astonishing birds.
The Franklin's Gull took off and quickly disappeared from view so we decided to try for a repoerted rare Asian species of a Lesser Whitethroat (form halimodendri). It had been seen regularly near to Leland saltings railway station and it was soon obvious where they ment as there were about thirty birders lined up by the side of the road. We parked a further 100 yards up the road and were soon amongs them, looking across the road for the bird. It only took about ten minutes before the very mobile bird came into the open. It was a very pale bird but far too mobile to get an image of it. It gave us some superb views and Steve remarked that the only time he had seen these birds was many years ago in Dubai. As we watched the pager announced that the Franklin's Gull had returned and could be seen from the Lelant saltings station so off we set and managed to park close to the station itself, only to be told that it had taken off again. we decided that as it was now only about 10am we had plenty of time to wait to see if it would come back but after about an hour it hadn't showed. Ie turned to go back to the car and as we did the bird was called as coming in.
It was soon located but it was about three to four hundred yards away so it was tiome to go back to the car for my digiscoping set up.
I was quickly onto the bird but a swooping Sparrowhawk spooked everything and the bird was lost amist a flurry of panicking birds. It wasn't long before it was re-located, possibly about another fity yards further away. My digscoping set up could reach but the resulting images would leave a lot to be desired as I was on a high ISO. Still I tried for it and below are three of the better record shots.
There was one more bird in the area, in Penzance, and within half an hour we were looking at it, a Yellow-browed Warbler. Unfortunately it never stopped moving and in the ten minutes we were watching it not once did it stop for longer than a second at a time. After ten minutes the bird disappeared and we waited another fruitless hour for its return.
We decided to move on, but first to have a bite to eat in the car. It was now about 1pm and it was decided to go to Newquay after a Dusky warbler. We arrived at the housing Estate (overlooking the river Gannet) where it had earlier been reported only to be told it hadn't been seen for about an hour. It was now about 14:30 so we had plenty of time to wait for it but just before 16:45 we decided (as the temperature was dropping quickly) to go home. We were at our car eating our sandwiches (which we had to park about a quarter of a mile away) when one of the few birders to stay came up and shouted that the bird was showing. we quickly rushed back down to the site only to be told that the bird was last seen only five seconds earlier in a thick hedgrow but try as we did we couldn't relocate it. we spent a further hour looking in various places but gave up just after 6pm.
there was no way we could complain with that day. Some superb birds on a beautifully sunny day from mid morning onwards.
The day ended on an incredibly high note when we stopped near to Evesham about 10:30pm to watch the Lunar Eclipse. What an incredible sight that was. I just wish I was experienced enough to know how to set my camera to capture the moment but try as I did I couldn't capture the moment when it was completely covered.
Well that was a bit of a summary of a day that doesn't come along very often as a birder. Especially at the beginning of March when it can be fairly quiet on the rarities front.
John
